Source: TheGreenmag.co.uk
Freelance journalist Caroline Elliott reveals the perils faced by the endangered Shortfin Mako shark which could become extinct without urgent international action.
Continue reading Time is running out to save the cheetah of the sea – will nations act?
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. September 24, 2021. The Greenland shark – the species thought to have the longest lifespan of any vertebrate – has been denied new protections at this week’s (online) annual meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). The US had proposed a science-based ban on retaining Greenland sharks and was supported by the EU, UK, Canada, Russia, Norway, and France (with respect to Saint Pierre and Miquelon). In response to opposition from Iceland, however, the US withdrew its proposal. The NAFO Parties supporting Greenland shark protection pledged to reintroduce the proposal at the next annual meeting.
Source: Phys.Org/AFP – by Kelly MacNamara, Marlowe Hood
Trapped on island habitats made smaller by rising seas, Indonesia’s Komodo dragons were listed as “endangered” on Saturday, in an update of the wildlife Red List that also warned overfishing threatens nearly two-in-five sharks with extinction.
Continue reading Komodo dragon, 2-in-5 shark species lurch towards extinction
Even though the summer holidays are often a time to slow down and take it easy, the #Rally4Makos to protect the fastest shark in the world continues!
London, UK. July 8, 2021. Conservationists are deeply unhappy that the European Union and the United States once again served as the main obstacles to agreement on urgently needed mako shark protections during this week’s special Committee negotiations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Canada and seven other Parties proposed a ban on retaining seriously overfished North Atlantic shortfin makos, as scientists have long advised. The EU and US refuse to go along and continue to insist on exceptions for continuing to land the endangered species, despite receiving only opposition in response. The resulting delay in consensus allows unsustainable fishing on this shared population to continue. ICCAT scientists estimate recovery could take five decades, even if fishing were to stop immediately.
Continue reading Press Statement: EU and US Impede Momentum Toward Vital Mako Shark Protections
July 2021
What: Negotiations on a multi-national proposal to ban retention of shortfin mako sharks from the seriously overfished North Atlantic population. Scientists have advised this action since 2017 to reverse decline and rebuild within ~50 years.
Continue reading Media Advisory: Make or Break for Endangered Atlantic Mako Sharks
Here you can find the latest issue of the EU Shark Rally Newsletter. We’re pleased to announce the first EU Member State to back the ICCAT scientific advise to prohibit the retention of makos in the North Atlantic and become our first EU Mako Champion…check out the newsletter to find out who it is! And…we’ve just released the Voices for Makos video showcasing EU citizens, politicians, scientists, divers, aquariums voice their support for the science as well.
Mako Sharks face continued pressure – particularly from the EU fleets. While ICCAT Parties are stepping up to voice their support for a prohibition on retention of North Atlantic mako – the EU continues to promote fishing, in spite of the scientific advice to the contrary. But the call to ban mako shark retention is increasing across EU Member States!
Ecology Action Centre — with support from Shark Advocates International (a project of The Ocean Foundation), Shark Trust, and PADI AWARE — appreciates this opportunity to express our views on protections for Atlantic shortfin makos.
